1. Under what circumstances do you not need to wear a mask?

If you live alone and do not have close contact with other people：

For example, there is no suspected infection and you have no close contacts or no family member has come back from the epidemic area;

Your private car has never been occupied by suspected or confirmed patients who are from the epidemic area.

It is not necessary to wear masks in an outdoor ventilation area if you are alone.

For example, when taking a walk in sparsely populated communities, parks and streets;

Working in the open air with good ventilation conditions and keeping a proper distance from other people;

Working in an office that has taken strict measures of disinfection, temperature measurement and ventilation, and in which there is no suspected infection and no close contacts between your colleagues.

2. Is it necessary to wear a mask in low-risk area?

Low risk area does not mean no risks at all.

Some areas have just been adjusted from a high or medium risk level to a low-risk level. People need to conduct personal protection and avoid unnecessary gathering.

It is recommended to wear masks and conduct self-health monitoring in densely populated places even in low-risk areas.

3. How to reuse the mask?

Except for people with a high or relatively high exposure risk, masks worn by healthy people are reusable, including appropriately prolonging  the duration and frequency of the usage.

Generally speaking, if the mask does not have obvious dirt and deformation, it does not need to be changed every four hours.

If the mask needs to be used again, it can be hung in a clean, dry and ventilated place or placed in a clean and breathable paper bag.

Masks should be stored separately to avoid contact with each other.

If the mask is dirty, deformed, damaged, or has an unpleasant smell, it should be changed.

4. What kind of masks should children wear and what should they pay attention to?

Children should be provided with masks that meet national standards and are labelled as children's or teenagers' particulate protective masks.

Before wearing the mask, children need to read and understand the instructions carefully with the help of their parents to master the correct usage.

Parents should always pay attention to the wearing conditions of their children's masks. If children feel uncomfortable when wearing masks, parents should help them adjust the mask or temporarily stop using it.

As children have smaller faces which cannot securely fit in adult masks, it is not recommended that children wear adult masks.

All of the followings practices are wrong!

Spraying alcohol and disinfectant onto the mask

It may reduce the protection efficiency, and not recommended to use the mask again

Heating a mask in a microwave, electric oven, or steamer

It may damage the internal structure of the mask and reduce the protection efficiency. It is not recommended to use the mask again.

Failing to wash hands before wearing and removing masks

The hands may touch the outer layer of the mask, which leads to contact transmission.

Confirmed or suspected patients wearing masks with respirators

The breathing valve of the respirator is a one-way valve. When exhaling, the positive pressure of the exhalant gas will blow the valve plate open, and the exhalant gas will be quickly discharged. Because there is no filter layer in the exhalant process, the patient may exhale the virus.

Infants wearing masks

Very small babies can't wear masks, because asphyxia may result.

Wearing multi-layer masks

Wearing more masks does not increase security.